MADISON, Wis. – The Fighting Illini women's basketball team fell to the Wisconsin Badgers, 69-57, at Kohl Center Sunday afternoon despite a double-double effort by sophomore guard Jeanae Terry.
Terry recorded a career-high in scoring and her second straight double-double, finishing with a 28-point, 11-rebound performance. Fellow sophomore Jada Peebles also finished in double-figure scoring with 15 points, while freshman guard Aaliyah Nye chipped in with nine points off the bench. Â
Defensively, the Illini (2-10, 0-9 B1G) recorded season-highs in steals (12) and forced turnovers (20) against the Badgers (4-11, 1-11 B1G).
Although the Illini ended the first quarter with a 17-16 lead, the Badgers went on a 24-5 run spanning from the end of the first quarter to the end of the first half, outscoring the Illini 20-5 in the second quarter alone to take control, 36-22, at the break.
After some adjustments, the Illini were able to trade baskets with the Badgers throughout the second half, but couldn't overcome their second-quarter scoring drought.
The Badgers were led by forward Imani Lewis, who recorded a double-double with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Guards Sydney Hilliard and Estella Moschkau also tallied double-digit scoring games with 18 and 12 points, respectively.
STAT OF THE GAME
Illinois missed 16 consecutive field goals between the 3:03 mark of the 1st quarter and the 0:33 mark of the second quarter, allowing the Badgers to reclaim the lead on a 24-5 scoring run between Illini buckets. During that stretch, the Illini connected on 5-of-10 attempts from the free-throw line.
TEAM NOTESÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
- Illinois recorded a season-high 12 steals against Wisconsin. That is the most in a game since Dec. 15, 2019 vs. Evansville (14) and most in a conference game since Feb. 19, 2017 at Northwestern (14).
- The Illini defense forced 20 Wisconsin turnovers, a season high in conference play. The 20 turnovers are the most in a conference game since Feb. 16, 2020 vs. Purdue (21 TO).
- Illinois secured 12 offense rebounds, their ninth game this season with double-digit offensive rebounds.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Jeanae Terry posted a double-double with a career-high 28 points and 11 rebounds. It is her fourth double-double of the season and second straight. Terry is the second Illinois player with a double-double in two straight games this season (Kennedi Myles - Dec. 2-6, 2020).
- Terry's 28 points is the most by an Illini player this season and the most since Petra Holesinska poured in 28 points on Feb. 9, 2020 at Penn State.
- Terry is the first Illinois player this season to score 20+ points in back-to-back games (Jan. 28 vs. Penn State - 21 PTS). The last Illinois player to score 20+ PTS in consecutive games was Petra Holesinska (Dec. 15, 2019 vs. Evansville - 25 PTS, Dec. 20, 2019 at Missouri - 22 PTS).
- Terry's 10 made free-throws rank as the most by an Illinois player since Chatrice White had 11 on Feb. 7, 2016 at Michigan.
- Jada Peebles scored 15 points in the contest, her fourth effort of the season with at least 15 points. She has reached double-figures scoring eight times this season and 13 times in her career. Â
- Peebles also contributed a pair of three-pointers in the game, after tallying a career-best five triples in her last outing vs. Penn State. It is the first time Peebles has knocked down multiple threes in back-to-back games since hitting three each in games vs. Omaha (Dec. 6) and at Nebraska (Dec. 10) earlier this season.
NEXT UP
The Fighting Illini travel to East Lansing, Mich., for a Thursday evening showdown with Michigan State (9-3, 4-3 B1G). Tipoff between the Illini and the Spartans is set for 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT from MSU's Breslin Center. The game will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+. Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on WDWS 1400 AM. Streaming audio and live stats are also available at FightingIllini.com.
